Polk Audio ULTRA FOCUS 6000
I've been an audio equipment enthusiast for 20+ years. Grew up with an electrical engineer dad, spent a lot of time inside radio stations and recording studios, and professionally installed home/car audio for some years in early adulthood. Yes, I've played with a lot of toys.
I wasn't really a believer in digital amplifiers, and have always appreciated the classic AB design for its warmth and musicality. No digital processing - only direct bypass, from music source-to-amplifier-to-you. After seeing a lot of buzz around class T amplifier, I had to see what it was all about, and got myself the Lepai to check it out. I was thoroughly surprised, not only at how much sound was coming out of a modestly priced and sized unit, but also a tone that wasn't surprisingly.. digital, but rather transparent and clean. One downer - the Lepai was cheap. It felt cheap, and after a certain volume, it sounded cheap and distorted. And there was a pop when I turned off the LePai. But I knew there was a lot of potential in class T amps, researched and debated between Dayton Audio and Topping.
I am SO GLAD I bought the Topping. The build is solid, classic and simple. If you're a music purist, you'd know that you don't need much more than a power button and volume control. And it's everything I liked about the Lepai + quality + better sound. No pop, no hiss, not even a little bit and runs cool. I tested it with several bookshelf speakers - Infinity, KEF, Boston, and currently have them paired with Definitive. Love it. Very clean sound. And more than enough volume for a 20x10 room.
Please note this is not the amp if you're trying to throw parties. And for the not so great reviews, I wonder if they realized that speaker pairing matters, as well as the audio source. This amp with bright speakers, can get a bit too bright. And you do get a little more from efficient speakers with this amp. Overall - this is an absolute steal. You can't even get a decent used amp off craigslist or ebay for this price (maybe, if you're lucky). This plus a decent pair of bookshelf speakers is still a better deal than any 2.1 or amplified (computer) speakers in the same price range. Amplified studio monitors run at least $400/pair. Best of all, the compact design gives it so much versatility without taking all that room that AB amps needed. These have replaced my main setup in the living room. And I plan to get more for music streaming to my Apple Airport express (used as repeater).
One wish: optical input and DAC. Bottom line: still worth it. Get it!!
They sound great, they have lots of different ear pieces to let you get a good, comfortable fit, and the wires are made to reduce tangling. I travel a lot and really appreciate the noise cancelling in a small package. The only downside is they they don't work with a dead battery. Just carry a spare. I just bought another set for a gift.
BalasHapus